The guillotine, designed by French physician, politician, and death-penalty reformer Joseph-Ignace Guillotin (1738-1814), was designed to provide its victims with a humane and painless execution. After being laid down on a bench (head facing downward), victims would be tied down with a strap. Their neck would be placed in the stocks beneath the two wooden blocks which held the blade. Said blade would be released and fall from 3 to 4 meters in height, severing the victim's neck. Their head would subsequently fall in a basket places in front of the guillotine. The actual decapitation would have been accomplished in a split-second. Doctors claiming the guillotine was not at all able to provide its victims with a swift and painless death, as it could take up to 30 seconds for the brain to lose consciousness, were ignored from the start. It is estimated that several tens of thousands of people died on the guillotine during the French Revolution, with a possible 40,000 in Paris alone. Dimensions: Length: 332 cm Width: 78 cm Height: 195 cm Due its size and weight, this item may only be picked up by arrangement from Echt (the Netherlands), or delivered to buyer after arranging payment of transportation.